Josephine Said:

what textbooks for high school are good to teach math applied to medical careers?

We Answered:

UNSOM Recruitment & Outreach: High School Students: How to Prepare

High school is not too early to begin preparing for a career in medicine. You can begin by:

Volunteer at a hospital or clinic
This experience will help you learn more about medicine and other health professions; find out if you enjoy working with people who are ill; and get an understanding of the "real world" of medicine. Volunteers also make valuable contacts with physicians and others who can give you good information on the profession. More information - (PDF).

Get involved outside of class
Students should use high school as a time to explore other interests in sports, the arts, performance, and service organizations. This is a time to develop good communication skills and learn to work with many different types of people.

Challenge yourself academically
High school is a time to take tough classes. AP coursework is the best preparation for college-level work. Students who challenge themselves academically now learn good study habits and aren't shocked when confronted with college-level work.

Talk to your own physician
Your doctor can be a source of great information. Ask him or her what the work day is like? How did her or she decide to become a doctor? Sometimes your physician might agree to let you shadow for a day.

Take advantage of programs offered by UNSOM
The High School Medical Scholars is a residential, summer program funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which takes place on the Reno campus of the medical school.

John Said:

Can my son do medical or engineering sciences?

We Answered:

This is bad news.you are quite right,he must have good maths grades to do engineering sciences.Normally a school will seek to give maths/science places wherever they see ability.You need to know why the school doesn't think he can cope with the maths.When you have an answer you can either appeal or if that yields nothing you could seek another school.If the matter is marginal you might think about getting a maths/science tutor (I used to tutor these subjects)to see if the boy can change the mind of the school authorities and just ,maybe,they could upgrade his sets in these subjects in years10&11.Nothing much wrong with IT of course but you are clearly concerned and must find out what's amiss without delay.Science as a Career is closed to those without adequate maths,don't let anyone tell you otherwise.I wish you luck!

Cynthia Said:

Medical Careers to get into w/ the economy bad ?

We Answered:

It may be the area you're from, but where I'm from (Michigan - Detroit/metropolitan area) they're begging for nurses! In fact, the hospital I work for just went through a major round of layoffs...and nursing was the ONLY department not affected because they're in such high demand.

Another area you could look into is physician's assistant (PA), also known as physician extenders. This modality has skyrocketed because docs are crazy busy and physician assistants have the schooling and expertise to diagnose and treat in the absence of the attending/resident physician...which a nurse isn't authorized to do without 'direct orders'.